Heinrick laughed when he heard about me and Eclis’ agreement the next day. “Master, what is an impressive number of pull ups anyways.” I was really flustered now. Why did I agree to this?

“More than three, lass.” I glared at him.

“Three and a half.”

“Oho, yes I did forget about that pathetic struggle at the end.” He smiled sadistically. Instead of our normal laps, he had walked me towards the training grounds. It was hard to pretend I didn’t notice the theatrics the knights would put themselves through the moment they realized they were about to turn my direction. One actually dived to the ground, giving up on his footing when his sparring pushed him to face our way.

On the side of the field were places the knights could rest during tournaments. It was sheltered and blocked the view from the stadium seats so that the knights could celebrate, or morn their loss, in peace. Currently they were being used to store various training weapons for the knights. Swords, axes, maces, staves, and spears all with blunted edges were stored on racks ranging in many different sizes. It was among them that I’d need to choose my weapon to pass the test.

“Whichever you choose will be the weapon you learn first so choose wisely. Don’t look for the lightest one,” I flinched. He caught me, “Think of what you want to master first. Your first weapon is often the one you become best with.”

“Can you give me some direction on what to consider with each weapon? I haven’t really given it much thought before.” Swords were a safe bet; it was what I’d imagined I’d use when I thought about fighting but being faced with the sheer array of weapons made them seem… Kind of boring. Now that I was really looking, there were sickles and flails, morningstar’s, clubs, pikes, glaives, poleaxes, picks, hammers, halberds and weapons I neither recognized nor could name.

I turned back to Heinrick who was sizing me up. “Blunt weapons require strength and endurance to use. Even with our daily training, relying on those qualities will never put you at an advantage in a real fight so no clubs, hammers, axes, maces.” He shook his head dismissing that weapon rack. “Staves, Polearms and spears will give you reach and will help you keep enemies at a distance. You mentioned that you were planning to learn offensive magic, right?” I nodded, “Then these will give you an advantage on the field. From afar you can attack with magic, and when they get too close you can keep them out of reach while you prepare your next spell.” He moved on to the next rack, “Swords are a staple weapon. You’ll either learn them now, or after the other weapon you choose but you will learn them. Among adventurers they’ll be the most common weapon you’ll face so learning how to wield one will also help you learn how to defend against it.” He nodded back at the spears and polearms, “Weapons like those will also give you an advantage against fighting someone with a sword since you can keep them from getting within range.” We moved to the final rack full of exotic weapons, “These here are off limits for now. It would be better to learn the basics before moving onto more nuanced weapons.”

I considered my options for some time before finally picking up a weapon. Two in fact. They were two short swords with straight double-edged blades and thin pointed guards on them. They were far heavier than they looked and the guard bit into the soft skin on my palm when I tried to push the point of the blade above my wrist. “Would it be wise to learn how to dual wield before I can wield one sword?” Heinrick smiled.

“Perhaps you should learn how to hold one sword before you try for two.” My hands were already hurting holding them. “What made you choose to dual wield?”

“Have you heard of Jack Red?” Heinricks expression didn’t change so I explained, “He’s a famous adventurer. He calls himself a spellsword and fights in the front lines with magic and two swords.” I smiled. In this world using mana took a toll on the body. People especially versed in magic normally only fought in the backlines since their body became weaker than that of a martial adept. Jack on the other hand ran a knifes edge, balancing physical strength with his use of mana. Aside from Eclis he was my favourite character. “He’s really cool. If I can, I’d love to meet him one day.” Eclis was someone I would want to be with, whereas Jack was the person I wanted to become.

“Why did you get thrown in that jail Jasmine?” His question caught me off guard.

“Why do you ask so suddenly?” Weren’t we just talking about weapons? At least it was distracting me from the burning sensation that was blazing through my forearms. It had probably only been a minute or two since I’d picked up the weapons. Swords were heavy! Heinrick kept correcting the angle I held the blades while we spoke. Even so, they kept drooping back downward.

“Here, grip them like this.” He helped me adjust my grip to a far more comfortable hold. If only he could adjust the weight. “I keep thinking how odd it is. Nobles only end up in that jail after being caught publicly in a horrible crime, maybe treason against the crown… Or as a substitute for another family member’s crime.” His eyes grew incredibly sharp like he was ready to kill at any moment. “At first I considered the former two. I have a good eye for a person’s character Lass. So, who committed it, and for what crime did your family offer you up?” In reality it looked like he was asking who he should murder right now.

“Hahh.” This was an awkward situation. I’d already given Heinrick a non answer when he asked me why I wanted to become an adventurer. I didn’t want to refuse to answer again and make it seem like I was distancing myself from him. My grip faltered breaking the tension in the air while he helped me readjust. My arms were shaking by this point. Were we only halfway?

“Heinrick. Can anyone here hear us right now?” I glanced around. Suddenly, an almost imperceptible wall of magic encapsulated us. It was only detectable by the slight distortion in the air, as if you were looking through thick curved glass.

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“Not anymore.” His voice sounded on the verge of anger.

“Then let me be more honest with you.” A little bit of the truth should be fine, “I can’t remember anything from before the prison.” He looked disappointed. Why was he so fired up in the first place? “I got hit on the head by slavers down there. At least I think I did, there was blood and my head hurt and… Anyways,” I shook my head to clear it, “I don’t remember anything of my life from before I woke up down there.” He remained still and silent for a moment and I had to struggle against every instinct in my body saying to drop the swords. “Why did you suddenly ask though?”

He sighed. “Jasmine. I’ve heard your new designer is a half elf.” Heinrick didn’t seem like the type to listen to rumors but it was true. “And you just told me that you admire Jack Red, a famous half elf adventurer and former slave. I’ve never had a Rose that matched so well with the Duke and his open mindedness when it comes to the race of those he surrounds himself with.” Given that almost all the Roses sent to the Empire came from Tyrra, it would make sense that they’d come with their prejudices. None came of their own free will after all.

“I see. Like with the Ba’alings, it doesn’t matter to me… Hate is learned after all. Perhaps that bonk on the head made me unlearn it?” I shrugged and smiled, hoping to lighten the mood. It worked; the tension he was holding in his shoulders released.

“Then, even if this is rude of me to say, I hope you don’t remember it lass.” Heinrick looked like he had more to say but thought better of it.

“Thank you. I’ve been avoiding thinking on it too much myself.” In truth the thought had occurred to me to wonder why this girl had ended up there of all places. What was her story? Heinrick assumed I was sent there on my family’s crimes simply because he couldn’t fathom I could do something deserving of that prison; but I wasn’t the original owner of this body. Were there demons she’d left behind in Tyrra? What would happen to me if I ever returned?

“Ah. Sorry for bringing it up then Lass.” His smile returned, “It looks like ten minutes are up.” My hands had gone white from how hard I was gripping the swords. He could tell. He helped me return the swords to the rack and I tried to cover up the shaking in my arms.

“So. When do we start?” His shoulders shook as he supressed his laugh. “Am I the weakest person you’ve ever trained?”

“By far!” His laughter bubbled over while I glared at him. “I will have some wooden swords ordered for you, for now let’s continue our strength training.” Tears collected at the corners of his eyes. Was it really that funny to see someone struggle? This man truly didn’t hide his sadistic side.

“Can I also learn how to use one of these as well?” He’d convinced me. Some sort of pole weapon would honestly be a good choice to learn.

“Sure,” He sighed, “It’s about time we start on the basics anyways.”

“What’s wrong?” He sounded so reluctant.

“Are you sure? Are you sure this is what you want?” Anger flashed across my face. As much as me and Heinrick got along it still hurt when he’d act like this.

“If I were a man, would you question me?” I didn’t try to hide how mad I was. He just looked at me with a sad expression.

“The life of an adventurer leads you through the darkest sides of the world Jasmine. It will change you. It will hurt you.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Speaking out of anger would only cause him to become defensive.

“Heinrick. I do not expect you to agree with everything I do, but I ask that you respect my choices and let me fall if that’s where they lead.”

He sighed again and scratched the back of his head. “It’s ok to let yourself be protected Jasmine.”

“Not if in protecting me you rob me of my freedom.” We glared at each other for a tense moment. Out of everyone, I had already convinced the person I needed most to achieve this goal, Eclis, but I’d grown to like Heinrick too. I wanted his support as well.

Heinrick held up his hands in surrender, “It would seem I’ve crossed a line. If this is what you wish, I’ll respect it.”

“Good.” I would not thank him for giving me basic respect. Taking another deep breath to clear away the last remnants of anger, my eyes returned to the polearms. Heinrick reflexively picked up the one I was looking at.

“This one caught your eye, didn’t it?” He handed it to me. It was longer than I was tall with a large, curved blade affixed the top of it. The edge opposite the curve was also sharpened that ended with a sharp curved point perfect for hooking onto other swords or shields. “It’s a glaive. A handy weapon, it can be used to slash your opponent, dismount them, unarm them and of course stab them.” He pointed to the opposite end; it was tipped with a spear head.

“It seems like it’s a bit…” It wasn’t super heavy but required both my hands to hold. “Unwieldy.”

“It’s a big weapon, but you won’t be disappointed learning it.” He placed it back on the rack. “Then, shall we continue our training?” We left the weapons on the racks. A grin had planted itself on my face knowing that I was now another step closer to my goal. Today also marked the first time I’d ever held a weapon, something I was incredibly pleased about.

The week flowed past swiftly as my schedule quickly filled. Training, classes, meals, and visits with both Michael and Ethan became my every day. With Michael I discussed my health and the things I was learning in my classes. It was pleasant eating with him in the tower and I’d grown used to sleeping there, though Maybella and Misa were keen to move me back to the palace. Michael was particularly intent on ensuring I became his apprentice as the days passed, until, instead of tomes researching my condition there were textbooks on magic theory scattering his desk. Of course, he would also speak about the latest theory he’d have in regard to my mana problem, but they all seemed to circle back to the same solution.

With Ethan we spent the meals discussing different designs of dresses and gear I was looking for. By the end of the week, he had become comfortable with the creative freedom I was giving him. I had no specialty or vision when it came to design, but I did have good taste. Or at least, a clear idea of what my tastes were, and he matched it with his ability to be incredibly intuitive. From my words he was able to accurately draw what it was I was explaining. He understood the vision I had behind each enchantment I’d request and was able to play off them, suggesting even more efficient solutions instead. Naturally however, our most pressing discussion was on my debut into society. While I had no desire to really participate in that side of the story, nor did I plan to stay here long enough for it to matter; to Ethan this was his livelihood. He would live on in this world after me, and in his eyes, this would be my first impression on not only society but the imperial family. For his sake, I’d take this seriously.

Tomorrow would mark the day Eclis promised to come home and it would also be the day me and Ethan sat down to really muscle out what my debut dress would look like.